Monthly Archives: September 2014

Songwriter, producer, guitarist, and hardest-working man Prince has released two powerhouse albums, the solo “Art Official Age” and “Plectrumelectrum,” with his band 3 Eye Girl.

“Plectrumelectrum” is more rock-oriented than “Art Official Age,” and richer as well; a crowd-pleasing arena-rock binge.

“Wow,” with its grand refrain, is a lesson on the right way to open an album and sets the bar for the rest of “Plectrumelectrum.” Its message of a beautiful drug addict in denial is an unexpected twist.

“Another Love” also weaves a venomous message. As he cries out, “The greatest living soul, you’ll never know,” Prince is defiant in his bitter testament to lost love.

The hard-rock hooks on the title track riff a bit off the first half of Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean,” and the instrumental only gains strength.

The album is also full of sensitive, beautiful melodies. The country-tinged female vocals for “Whitecaps” float effortlessly on a contemporary wave, while “Stop This Train” is a delicate love duet set to a reggae beat.

Prince’s vocals sound just as good as they did five, 10, 15 albums ago, but now he’s got an extra edge to his messages of sensual love and social awareness.

If some felt Prince needed to shore up his title as the royal authority on dance, pop, funk and rock, “Plectrumelectrum” is here to shut them all down.

This morning Lorde dropped her new single to the Hunger Games soundtrack: “Yellow Flicker Beat.” It’s got Lorde written all over it, her honey-deep voice enunciating every syllable. It begins quietly and ends with an explosive dance beat that further cements her growing stardom.

More below:

Brace yourselves: Lorde is releasing a new single Monday, Sept. 29. Prepare for social-media implosion.

It’s only one song really, but hearing new music from the teen-alt dynamo for the first time since “Pure Heroin” is big news for Lorde fans.

According to a story at Consequence of Sound, Lorde wrote the song, “Yellow Flicker Beat,” for “The Hunger Games-Mockingjay Part 1” movie soundtrack. “Hunger Games” is set for release Nov. 21.

Another juicy snippet, according to Consequence of Sound — Lorde is allegedly working on new music with Kanye West.

But it was also rumoured not that long ago (August) that West and Paul McCartney were…

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Prince and his band 3rdEyegirl are expected to appear on the Live Nation Channel on Yahoo at 9:30 p.m. (Central Time) for his “Plectrumelectrumartofficialage” album-release party (yes, it’s one big word). And yes, it will celebrate the double-whammy on Tuesday of his albums “Art Official Age” and “Plectrumelectrum.”
Fans are also expected to get an in-depth look at Paisley Park, Prince’s recording studio in Minnesota, which is where you could be headed if you preorder “Plectrumelectrum”– preordering entitles you to a chance to be flown to the studio for a performance with the Man in October.
According to a press release, the entire live stream will be available using the Yahoo Screen App or at http://www.yahoo.com/live.

This morning Lorde dropped her new single to the Hunger Games soundtrack: “Yellow Flicker Beat.” It’s got Lorde written all over it, her honey-deep voice enunciating every syllable. It begins quietly and ends with an explosive dance beat that further cements her growing stardom.

More below:

Brace yourselves: Lorde is releasing a new single Monday, Sept. 29. Prepare for social-media implosion.

It’s only one song really, but hearing new music from the teen-alt dynamo for the first time since “Pure Heroin” is big news for Lorde fans.

According to a story at Consequence of Sound, Lorde wrote the song, “Yellow Flicker Beat,” for “The Hunger Games-Mockingjay Part 1” movie soundtrack. “Hunger Games” is set for release Nov. 21.

Another juicy snippet, according to Consequence of Sound — Lorde is allegedly working on new music with Kanye West.

But it was also rumoured not that long ago (August) that West and Paul McCartney were collaborating, and how is that going? Only time will tell.

For now, look for “Yellow Flicker Beat” on Monday or just check your local Twitter location.

When it comes to videos, for music fans, ultimately, It’s the song that matters — we hope so, anyway.

But sometimes video and music sort of become one — that’s how much Wand‘s new video for “Flying Golem” seem custom-built for each other.

The video represents the single from Wand’s new album “Ganglion Reef,” and was created by directors and animators Meghan Tryon and Garrett M. Davis, and they do the song proud.

The video has got this stream of consciousness to it — the kind where someone draws a weird face with a pencil, and the pencil becomes a long line, then another weird face, then all of a sudden you’re fighting evil, fluorescent skulls in some alternate scene that was ditched from the Sgt. Pepper movie….. you get the picture.

The song has an innocent organic acoustic sound to it, then magically becomes a 60s psychedelic trip, and the video brings you along for the tie-dyed ride. Indian influences help close out the eclectic sound of “Flying Golem.”

Plus TWO singles from They Might Be Giants and TWO full-length releases: “They Might Be Giants” and “Lincoln”

There’s also, as usual, some bizarre, creative band names — (Sleepybeef and Butterqueen come to mind), as well as stuff from bands with names like Phalec Baldwin, Nude Human and Wild Wild Wets (hopefully they’re not XXX).

Today the Purple One announced the upcoming arrival of two new studio albums, “Art Official Age” and “Plectrumelectrum” through Warner Bros., for a Sept. 30 release.

“Art Official Age” is solo Prince, while “Plectrumelectrum” is by Prince’s band 3rdeyegirl.

In keeping with Prince’s allure, the releases will be marked by events to take place globally, and which will be confirmed soon, according to a press release.

The news comes as the artist and Warner Bros. have come back together with the record label returning Prince’s recordings back to him, including 80s blockbusters “Dirty Mind,” “1999,” “Purple Rain” and “Sign ‘O’ the Times.”

More info will be coming– the Artist Formerly Known As Prince likes keeping his fans waiting, but it’s a good chance that wait will be worth it.

The book will be full of many of Stein’s photos of his girlfriend at the time, Deborah Harry, as well as other punk revolutionaries, including music journalist Lester Bangs. Stein’s photos of Harry seem to dominate the book, and rightfully so– Blondie’s look breathed rebellion, youth and DIY glamour.

Australian newcomers Nite Fields, who hail from the Brisbane DIY scene, have released “Vacation,” their first U.S. single.

Lead singer and songwriter Danny Venzin, at first listen, seems pretty low-key, but it only means the vibe is just very mellow on “Vacation.”
Nite Fields cavernous sound is reminiscent of Magnetic Fields, with Stephin Merritt’s drone. Among that noisy grime, heavy wisps of Joy Division or shoegazers the Horrors (albeit a tad toned down) can also be heard.

Just about everything in the song is drenched in echo– that “wall of sound” we’ve come to know and love (or hate, depending on who you ask.)
The debut from Nite Fields’ is due early next year on Felte Records.